Human remains found in Lee County

The sheriff's office has not released any information on where the remains were found or when, but said their investigation revealed the person was last seen in June 2015 in Lehigh Acres.

The remains are presumed to be of a white or Hispanic man in his early 20s.

A former officer said there's a good reason little information has been released.

"It's never an easy case when any police, any law enforcement agency finds skeleton remains," said Fidel Balan, a retired NYPD officer.

Balan said that revealing information could ruin the investigation.

"You want to keep the integrity of the case. That's the most important thing to a police department, to a sheriff's office."

Balan said that in some cases, revealing the location could lead a suspect to wrongly put themselves at a scene they were never at.

Lee County detectives did release images of blue jeans and a ring they said are similar to the ones found on the remains.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement lists more than 600 missing person cases.

Balan said finding someone can sometimes rest solely on a suspect.

"He'll be able to tell that detective in detail what was at that crime scene."

If you have any information about the identity of this person, please contact either the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit at (239) 477-1050 or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS (8477). All callers will remain anonymous and will be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000. Tips may also be made online at southwestfloridacrimestoppers.com or by submitting a tip on the P3Tips mobile app.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit has located the skeletal remains of an unknown subject and is seeking the assistance of the public for identification. The decedent is presumed to be a white or Hispanic male in his early 20’s.

Information obtained through preliminary investigation indicates that this individual was last seen in June 2015 in Lehigh Acres.

Attached are photographs of a ring and a pair of jeans similar to those worn by the decedent.

If you have any information about the identity of this person, please contact either the Lee County Sheriff’s Office Major Crimes Unit at (239) 477-1050 or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-780-TIPS (8477). All callers will remain anonymous and will be eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000. Tips may also be made online at www.southwestfloridacrimestoppers.com or by submitting a tip on the P3Tips mobile app.